Supplement to Travel Trade
September 2002

Queen Elizabeth 2:

Sailing the World In Style

(Travel Trade Cruise Editor Ethel Blum has sailed hundreds of ships during the past 25 years, but her recent 104-day sailing on the QE2 Millennium World Cruise was a first.)

The Queen Elizabeth 2 has achieved legendary status in her own time. For over three decades, she has reigned as the Grande Dame of the seas. She has sailed over 5 million nautical miles and carried more than 2 million passengers on more than 1,200 voyages since her inaugural in 1969.

The QE2 embodies the legacy of sea travel as no other vessel can. With a top speed of 32 knots and a regular cruising speed of 28 knots, she is the fastest passenger vessel afloat. Because of this speed, she's the only vessel that can maintain regular trans-Atlantic transportation.

Her ownership has changed several times. She has met competition from mega liners in a manner befitting royalty and has emerged from her most recent $18-million refit refreshed and rejuvenated as she sails into the new millennium.

The QE2's popularity is evident in every port she visits. In Sydney, for example, crowds lined the viewing area daily during our 3-day stay. A relatively new mega liner was docked nearby, attracting no more than a dozen gawkers. Hundreds crowded to get a glimpse of the QE2 -- and thousands came for the fireworks at send off.

As a cruise vessel, she has all of the amenities to rival the best, and then some. Her size and configuration allow for the largest and most extensive library at sea, a hospital staffed by two doctors and four nurses, a dental clinic supervised by a licensed dentist, a podiatrist and the largest dance floor at sea.

Her look is unique, with a sleek, classic profile and a deep draft that makes for a smooth ride (although it requires tendering in many ports.) She has one of the highest space ratios at sea.

Some 5,000 passengers embarked and disembarked during our 104-day voyage, many sailing segments as short as three days and as long as 60 or 70 days. A core of passengers, many of them repeaters, were aboard for the entire cruise.

The passenger mix makes this ship unique. Guests come from almost every country. On our voyage, we carried passengers from 42 countries. The demographics changed with each segment. At one point, Americans made up less than one-third of the manifest. British and Australians divided the remaining two-thirds almost equally. Other segments attracted a fair share of passengers from Japan and Germany.

When it comes to housing and dining, people in the highest category staterooms eat in the 235-seat super-elegant Queen's Grill. Not quite so posh, but still quite deluxe, are accommodations for passengers assigned to the Princess and Britannia Grills.

The mid-category Caronia, a beautiful restaurant, was completely rebuilt during the refit of late 1999. As a result, some passengers in the Queen's Grill category staterooms opt for Caronia dining.

Lowest category cabin passengers are assigned to the Mauritania, which has two seatings and accommodates about half the passengers on board.

While menus are practically the same in all dining rooms, there are more choices in the more expensive categories and more opportunities for off-the-menu special orders, plus a higher service ratio.

Stateroom sizes range from 87- to 115-square feet in the minimum-priced Mauritania category to 355-square feet in Grill cabins and over 1,000-square feet in suites.

Rates range accordingly on a world cruise, from a low of about $20,000 per person in a cabin about 115-square feet to a high of about $250,000 per person in a duplex suite of over 1,100-square feet. Rates quoted are about 40% less than brochure prices, with early booking, early payment, past passenger and a few more possible allowances.

Dress codes differ from those aboard most contemporary cruise ships. It's formal on sea days, informal on port days and optional when the ship disembarks after 8 p.m.

We had two "resort casual" evenings during the voyage, but men were still required to wear jackets and ties. The Lido welcomes casual dress for all meals, but passengers are requested to adhere to recommended dress codes in public rooms after 6 p.m.

Because the QE2 has undergone major reconstruction changes, decks and rooms have been added and changed; others have been replaced or deleted. To add to the charming confusion, all elevators do not go to all decks. The trick is finding the one that goes where you're heading. It's manageable, however, and gets easier as time goes by.

Veteran QE2 passenger are quick to note the changes effected by the recent $18 million refit. Favorite rooms have been refreshed, with the most noticeable changes in the lighting, and in the brighter colors and plush fabrics used in carpeting and furniture. The public rooms have taken on a more contemporary flair in some cases while reflecting a return to the grand era in others.

The ship looked better than I remembered from my first voyage some 28 years ago and my dozen or so subsequent cruises. It's more like a revitalization than a facelift for a lady who admits to being 30-plus.

All of the cabins have been refitted with new carpeting and other software, plumbing and air-conditioning upgrades. Personal safes have been installed in all cabins and, as a result, the old vault room has been decreased in size.

The Computer Learning Center has been expanded and houses about three dozen PCs. Purser's Square has been modernized and all of the ship's business is conducted in one area.

Probably the most famous room on board is The Queen's Room, which received major treatment during the renovation. This includes plush red upholstery and new royal blue carpeting interwoven with gold Tudor roses. The walls were redone in rich fabrics and woods. The famed bronze bust of HM the Queen was relocated to the most prominent position in the major social venue that bears her name.

The most striking change is in the Caronia Restaurant, which was transformed from 1970s retro to elegant English country house style, with new table lighting, crystal chandeliers, etched glass doors and cascading draperies.

The Lido self-service restaurant has new carpeting, rattan furniture and automatic entry doors from the pool area. Mauritania Restaurant also boasts new carpeting, chandeliers and furniture.

The Grand Lounge, the main entertainment venue, has been enhanced with a theatre-style balustrade and a new audio system. Promenades on most decks have new plush carpeting and chairs. The corridors on lower decks (four and five) and stairwells were recarpeted and decorated in keeping with the rest of the ship.

Two new Grand Suites (QS) were added. The Caledonia Suite is port side on Boat deck and measures 575-square feet, including two bathrooms.

The midship Aquitania Suite is an expansive 777-square feet and also boasts two full marble bathrooms. In addition, two deluxe Princess Grill category cabins were added on 2 Deck.

Colors in all cabins are light, subtle and well-coordinated. Storage and closet space range from adequate in small cabins to double walk-in closets in Grill cabins and suites. Bathrooms are either marble or tile with either tub and shower or shower only.

There are cabins designated for single occupancy in all dining room categories, inside and outside, which probably accounts for the unusual number of single travelers.

Some things couldn't be changed. The spa facilities are a good example. The gym and workout rooms are windowless on the lowest deck and are divided by an underutilized small indoor swimming pool. The massage area and thalasopy pool are one deck higher and a lot brighter.

This is a very popular, complete facility. The hair and facial treatment salons on Deck One are professionally staffed and prices are in line with top salons shoreside.

As for socializing, there's no organized method of introducing passengers to one another. The only way you meet is in dining rooms, dance classes and at bridge tables. If you are the reticent type, there's a good chance you'll never meet anyone other than your tablemates.

Even that doesn't always work, because all of the dining rooms offer tables for two. It is surprising to notice the number of single passengers who prefer dining alone.

One passenger from Bal Harbor, FL, said that she considers the QE2 the best ship for singles. There are 10 gentlemen hosts whose sole purpose is to dance and socialize with single female passengers. Surprising is the number of unattached men traveling solo. Apparently, they discovered there's a good choice of female companionship on a world cruise.

While one of the great luxuries of living on a ship is avoiding decisions, there are a few we were forced to make. Here's a typical day, as an example of the possibilities.

Our choices started early with a Body Sculpting Class in the gym at 8 a.m. and continued through the morning with a lecture by an Egyptologist, more exercise classes, bridge lessons and competitions, computer lectures and classes and another lecture mid-day. This takes us to noon and complimentary caricatures by artist Bill Bates, origami and a table tennis tournament.

These are followed by more choices: a dance class, pre-lunch jazz or mellow music with Bloody Mary's, an art auction, bridge party, matinee movie, afternoon table games, quiz shows and games, art class, tea dancing in the Queen's Room and, of course, bingo.

Late afternoons bring more workout classes, more cocktail music and, of course, on sea days, the casino with its usual games of chance.

Evenings are just as activity packed. A concert by a cellist and pianist in the Theatre, two shows featuring Britain's top society jazz band and The Gold and Silver Ball in the Queen's Room are among the choices.

There's also dancing in the Yacht Club, socializing in the sophisticated Crystal piano bar, or the more subdued Chart Room with harpist or pianist, depending on the hour. In the less formal Golden Lion Pub a jazz jam session may be on tap.

During the first few weeks, we tried to do everything. By the fourth week, we settled down, slept a little later and did some picking and choosing. We kept attending lectures by the most knowledgeable, interesting speakers. We dropped afternoon tea because it was too close to the time we finished lunch, (although we did miss the scones.)

After-dinner choices were easy. We danced for 30 minutes nightly in the Queen's Room, and then headed for the entertainment specials in the Grand Lounge. We particularly liked the entertainers from Australia and South Africa who were considered "name stars" back home, but were unknown to us Americans.

Other decisions concerned ports of call and how we could best cram, see and do what we wanted. We decided on the ship's tours in ports we had never visited and ordered cars or taxis in familiar destinations.

About 10 evenings were scheduled as special events with different themes where passengers were encouraged to dress accordingly. We attended a Black and White Ball, South Seas Island Ball, Oriental Ball, Song of India Ball, Gold and Silver Ball, a Country Fayre Day and the Coming to America Ball.

We came to appreciate the special venues not sually offered on cruise ships. Examples include a bank that offers currency exchange in almost every port, a synagogue, kennels for animals, nannies for babysitting, secretarial and translation services, a garage for 10 cars, five main restaurants, 10 bars, a full size theater with a large balcony, music in five lounges after 5:30 p.m., afternoon tea dances and complimentary dance classes on sea days.

As for food, with options of caviar, lobster and totally obscene desserts beckoning on a daily basis, I requested a scale for my bathroom.

Caviar, tableside-prepared Caesar salad and a rack of lamb (slightly pink on the inside) topped off with a chocolate souffle was my favorite menu. I made up for the indiscretion by choosing the vegetarian menu for lunch or one of those freshly made pasta dishes.

We traveled some 55,000 miles, visited five continents, 40 ports of call, were introduced to varied cultures and people, topography and languages. We met authors, historians, politicians and "name" stars of stage, television and screen who came on board to entertain us every evening.

We sailed the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as the Coral, Celebis, Tasman, and China seas and crossed the equator four times and about 10 time zones going and coming. It's more than most people will experience in a lifetime, yet it felt like we just scratched the world's surface. In fact, we're under deposit for 2001. I'm told that the second time around is even better than the first.